Zhao Cheng was completely devastated.

No matter how much he planned, he never expected that Qi Bainian's reason would be this.

Prohibition!

The governor of a prefecture certainly has the right to issue such important decrees concerning the people's livelihood, but the problem is that once the alcohol ban is issued, not only will the immortal wine be banned from sale, but all other wines will also be banned from sale and consumption, which will harm not only Zhao Cheng's interests.

Wine was initially controlled by the imperial court at the beginning of the Dajing era, with official brewing and sales. It wasn't until several generations later that the control was lifted. Once the control was lifted, this highly profitable and sustainable commodity fell into the hands of wealthy merchants and powerful families in each region. The prohibition of wine in Jiangyang County would inevitably harm the Lu and Tu families the most.

Qi Bainian did this in consultation with the Lu and Tu families.

And since he actually did it, it was clear that the Lu and Tu families had agreed.

"First they sent people to buy soap and toilet water to sell at a low price, and now they're doing this. Right, both families are really willing to spend money to deal with me..." Zhao Cheng thought to himself, somewhat surprised by the hatred that Tu Wanhu and Lu Yuan had for him.

But that is indeed a very powerful move.

The entire prefecture is under a ban on alcohol; it's not just targeting you, Zhao Cheng.

Qi Bainian walked up to Zhao Cheng and said, "Young Prime Minister, I can only say that you were unlucky. You just happened to be in the wine business at this particular time."

Zhao Cheng said, "Compared to the Southern Zhou, the people of Jing are more fond of wine, and wine has always brought in substantial tax revenue for the Great Jing court. I don't understand why Lord Qi wants to ban wine."

"It's all because of Miao Shang's massacre of villages!" Qi Bainian sighed and said, "After beheading Miao Shang, I continued to investigate the previous massacres and found that most of them were caused by the leading officers who, after drinking, came up with the idea of ​​using civilians instead of pirates. Alcohol is a harmful thing; when people drink too much, they make decisions they wouldn't normally dare to make. After all, Jiangyang County is vast, and I'm not sure if all the officers involved in the massacres have been arrested, but I absolutely cannot allow another massacre to happen. So I had no choice but to take this drastic measure to stabilize the situation for now!"

Zhao Cheng clicked his tongue in amazement, thinking to himself, "Wow, they actually managed to shift the blame onto me!"

It was I who discovered Miao Shang's massacre of the village, which triggered the subsequent events.

The reason you, Qi Bainian, are now abstaining from alcohol is because of the massacre of the village.

sharp.

That's amazing.

Zhao Cheng wanted to applaud Qi Bainian, but he suppressed a laugh and said, "Lord Qi, haven't you thought about the consequences of banning alcohol? Jiangyang County is an economically important county. Even if we don't go into the long term, banning alcohol for just a few months would be a huge loss for the court."

"Of course I've thought about it."

Qi Bainian sighed again and said, "But what can we do? Is the imperial court's tax revenue more valuable than the lives of ordinary people? If another massacre were to occur, how could I face them after my death? Young Prime Minister, human life is of paramount importance!"

Zhao Cheng couldn't continue; for the first time, he felt he had met his match.

Qi Bainian's words were all reasonable, and every sentence hit Zhao Cheng's nail.

Qi Bainian continued, "I am also taking a risk, thinking I can maintain the ban for as long as possible during my term. After all, I have already submitted my letter of apology to the court. If the court punishes me for the massacre of the village, the newly appointed prefect can naturally lift the ban. But I will not. In my heart, the people of Jiangyang County are the most important. We cannot let them live under such risks any longer, not even at the slightest risk."

These words effectively blocked Zhao Cheng's path to selling wine.

The meaning is clear: as long as I am the governor of Jiangyang County, the alcohol ban will not be lifted.

Unless I get taken down.

Zhao Cheng thought for a moment, then said no more, cupping his hands in a gesture of respect to Qi Bainian and saying, "Lord Qi has made up his mind, so I won't make things difficult for you."

Qi Bainian nodded and said, "Thank you for your support, young prime minister. I will have someone send the confiscated immortal wine back to you. As long as you stop selling it and secretly drink it at home with your friends, I will turn a blind eye."

Thank you.

"No need to see me out."

Zhao Cheng walked to the door, then suddenly stopped, turned around and said, "How do you manage to be a man who doesn't indulge in drinking, gambling, whoring, or being greedy for money?"

Upon hearing this, Qi Bainian's eyes gradually narrowed.

Zhao Cheng then asked, "A person can't possibly have no hobbies at all, otherwise how would they relieve stress? What are Lord Qi's hobbies?"

Seeing that Qi Bainian did not answer for a long time, Zhao Cheng smiled and said, "I was just asking casually."

After saying this, he strode away.

But the moment he turned around, Zhao Cheng's eyes turned fierce.

Jiangyang County forced me to eat people.

...

Just as Zhao Cheng was planning to take action against Qi Bainian, a piece of news interrupted his plans.

Yuan Yun has arrived.

To Zhao Cheng's surprise, Zhao Yan also came, in addition to Yuan Yun.

At this time, Zhao Yan was already seventeen years old. He was half a head taller than Zhao Cheng, tall and mighty, and he carried a knife with him. At first glance, he appeared even more imposing than Zhao Wu and Heng Wenhao.

"Big Brother!" Zhao Yan walked up to Zhao Cheng, his voice booming with confidence.

Zhao Cheng habitually patted Zhao Yan's head and laughed, "What are you doing here, kid?"

Zhao Yan straightened his chest and raised his head, saying, "My sister-in-law said I'm not young anymore and wants me to come out and gain some experience!"

Zhao Cheng teased, "Now that your sister-in-law's words carry so much weight?"

Zhao Yan said, "Sister-in-law is right, and I came up with it myself!"

“Sure.” Zhao Cheng patted Zhao Yan’s arm and said, “You’re skilled in martial arts, so you can be my bodyguard.”

"Yes!!" Zhao Yan shouted solemnly, as if he had received a major order.

After speaking with Zhao Yan, Zhao Cheng walked up to Yuan Yun, took her hand, and said, "You must be tired from your journey."

As before, Yuan Yun was still dressed in her finest attire. Although her clothes were quite voluminous, it was still clear that she had gained a considerable amount of weight.

She laughed and said, "The carriage you modified is very stable. I only slept a few times. It wasn't tiring at all."

Zhao Cheng took Yuan Yun's hand and led her into the house, saying, "Then let's hurry, I want to treat you well."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Wu, Heng Wenhao, and A Tao and Zhao Yan, who were beside Yuan Yun, all turned around and walked out.

Suddenly, only Zhao Cheng and Yuan Yun remained in the room.

Yuan Yun looked up at the sun and said, "In broad daylight..."

Zhao Cheng said, "When have you ever cared about day or night?"

Yuan Yun sighed and said, "But this really can't be done."

Zhao Cheng asked doubtfully, "You've changed your personality? This isn't like you!"

Yuan Yun leaned close to Zhao Cheng's ear, touched his ear with her lips, and said softly, "Silly boy, you're going to be a father."